


Celebarations (Fall)

by Marikokitty



Series: Holidays [1]
Category: DRAMAtical Murder (Visual Novel), DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Aoba and Mink, Autumn Equinox, Birthday, Domestic, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2020-10-28 19:17:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20783750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marikokitty/pseuds/Marikokitty
Summary: Aoba is awakened early in the morning by Mink and taken out into the woods outside their home. Mink is determined to include Aoba in an important ritual in his life, and Aoba is determined to make the day even more special.





	Celebarations (Fall)

Autumnal Equinox/Mink’s birthday

Aoba let out a long sigh and a groan as he stretched his arms over his head. It was early, with the sun barely peeking up over the horizon, but he and Mink were awake. Well, sort of. Dressed in jeans and a cozy sweater, Aoba grabbed Ren from his bed and padded into the kitchen. “Good morning,” he said, softly. “Mornin’.” Mink stood before the stove, carefully stirring around some eggs in a pan for breakfast. Aoba yawned and made his way to the coffee machine, pouring himself a cup. “Why do we have to be up so early again?” In reality, Mink had never told him why they were doing this, instead just insisting on it. “I know it’s close to your birthday, but I thought we would celebrate on that day.” “It’s not about that,” Mink replied quickly, pulling out plates. “I’ll explain when we get there.” Aoba nodded, though Mink wasn’t looking over to see him do it. Shifting Ren under his arm he padded over to the living room couch to nurse his coffee. “It’s too early…” he murmured to himself. With only one of Mink’s reading lamps on, the living room was fairly dark, which was a blessing to Aoba’s tired eyes. He looked out the window and shivered as he watched the trees move in the strong wind. Living at high altitude meant that when the weather started to turn cool it cooled quickly. The winds were strong and lead to chilly days even in summer. Granted, it was September now and all of nature seemed to be preparing for the end of the year already. The marigolds planted outside the house bloomed not too long ago, adding the first splash of autumnal color to the landscape. “Aoba.” Mink sat a plate of eggs on the coffee table, catching Aoba’s attention. “Thank you.” Mink nodded, starting in on his own breakfast. It was strange, but in that moment Aoba felt comfortable there. In the dim light of the early hours, the smell of coffee and the wood stove, and Mink there beside him looking over the morning news on his coil. Placing Ren on the floor, Aoba clapped his hands together. “Thank you for the meal!”

The wind hit Aoba like a train. Honestly, it wasn’t that cold out. Or at least, it wouldn’t have been, had it not been for the wind. He knew that in a few hours the sun would warm the air and raise the temperature quite a bit, but for now the cool darkness remained, ruled by the unforgiving and seemingly constant winds. Aoba shivered and tucked Ren into his bag, the same one he’d used since his days on Midorijima. Mink wasn’t far behind him, having taken a moment to lock the front door and adjust his bag on his shoulder. “Lead the way,” Aoba said, stuffing his hands in his pockets to save them from the cold. Mink nodded and started off onto a familiar trail, taking them away from gravel road that connected their home to civilization. Aoba was careful to keep up with Mink, who moved through the trees almost as though he were floating; dodging and gracefully stepping through the brush unencumbered by the thick foliage. Aoba, on the other hand, took care not to trip over himself or anything else as he hurried after Mink. “Damn….long legs would be nice right about now.” “What’s that?” Aoba chuckled, “nothing! Nothing!” 

After a time they came upon a clearing, which revealed to them that they were, in fact, standing nearly a few feet from a cliff’s edge. “Woah! We’re pretty high up, huh?” Aoba looked over the side, but quickly pulled back in surprise. Mink grunted and continued on, hiking upwards as the terrain began to change. He reached back for Aoba’s hand and pulled him up a particularly difficult slope. “Thank you,” Aoba said with a sigh. “Man, I need to get out and exercise more.” “It’s fine.” Hiking further up, Mink lead him over to yet another cliff’s edge, but this one looked more like a platform than the other; the trees receded back several feet and the grass was fairly short. Mink took off his bag and sat it down. Taking that as a sign they were going to stop, Aoba plopped down beside Mink, grateful to finally rest his legs. The sun was raising higher now and the orange glow of the early dawn faded back into the bright white now taking precedence in the sky. 

Aoba walked his hands back behind himself so that he could shift his weight to his palms and let the still warming sunlight bathe his face. “Feels good….” He looked over at Mink, who was busy emptying the contents of his bag. He pulled out a wooden bowl, a shell, a large flat drum and drum mallet, and incense sticks from the bag. “What’s that for?” Mink took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, a small smile on his face. “Today is the Autumnal Equinox; the first day of fall. It marks the next phase of the calendar and the next part of the Wheel of the Year.” “Wheel?” Aoba sat up, watching Mink set the apples in the bowls and prepare the incense. “Using the stars in the sky and observing how plants and animals behave, the ancient world was able to determine that the world around us experiences a never ending and predictable cycle. Days like today mark the beginning of a new phase of that cycle, and all phases are guided and protected by nature and the spirits that move us all.” Mink shifted to kneel down, facing the rising sun. Aoba copied him and kept his eyes on Mink so he could mimic his movements. Taking the drum in one hand and mallet in the other, he pounded on it with a strong, purposeful rhythm. He raised it up and sang out in a language Aoba couldn’t understand. He quickly recognized it as the language of Mink’s tribe, now a language that seemingly only Mink remembered.  
Mink sat down the drum, took Aoba’s hand and spoke slowly. “We come to this place today to observe and participate in the great cycle of life. As the ancestors once did, as our family once did, so we do today. Today begins a time of transition; the falling of leaves and the hibernation of nature. Today we look toward the harvest and bounty to signify the end of the year’s fertility. We thank, praise, and connect to the spirits here and the spirits of those who came before us today to as for guidance in this coming time.” They sat in silence then, the wind whistling through the landscape around them and the sun warming their forms. Slowly Mink rose, his fingers still intertwined with Aoba’s. “Shall we go, then?” Mink asked. “Uhh yeah,” Aoba said, letting the prayer Mink had spoken early sink in. “Are you okay?” “Yeah…it’s all just so beautiful.” “We used to do things differently before,” Mink said, looking out over to the horizon. “Drums, singing, dancing, food, and preparation for the harvest. Using Japanese, I wanted you to be able to understand and put your heart into the prayer as well." "Of course!” Aoba said, nodding. “It was beautiful!” Mink put an arm around his shoulder, smiling. “If you teach me, I’ll make food like you had before!” Aoba felt a determination then, balling his hands into fists close to his chest. “I’ll definitely be able to make it! We can still celebrate like before!” Mink pulled Aoba close, kissing the top of his head and effectively silencing his partner. “Anything is fine, Aoba. I’m just happy I get to celebrate with you.” Mink and Aoba then headed back in a more familiar direction. Aoba recognized it immediately; the resting place of Mink’s tribe. Lighting the incense there and leaving apples and gourds, Mink once again sang out. The incense to help reach the spirit world, the harvest food to represent the treasures of the autumn, and the song to reach a world a time long past. Aoba lowered his head in respect for the people there, trying to convey to those long gone his respect not only for them, but for Mink. After a time, the two started back to the house in silence. Aoba couldn’t but tear up; in the quiet of their journey back the reality was sinking in how lonely these events had to be for Mink nowadays. In that moment another thought hit Aoba. “Ah! Mink!” Mink jumped. “Aoba? Are you ok?” He seemed frightened, which was unusual for Mink. “No, I mean I’m ok but, your birthday is in a few days.” Mink calmed down, now seeming annoyed. “Ahh…yeah I guess it is.” Now starting up walking again, Aoba caught up with him and took his arm. With new conviction, Aoba gripped Mink tightly. “We’ll definitely celebrate! Today, and your birthday!” Mink had more than enough birthdays and holidays alone and without proper celebration, and Aoba was determined to change that. 

Aoba clapped his hands together, allowing the residual pieces of wood to fall from them. It was late into the evening, and the sun had gone down. Returning home with new determination, Aoba was finally able to get Mink to divulge a few recipes he knew, and Aoba worked into the afternoon trying to create them. In the process, he managed to make a mess of the kitchen. A squash soup, baked apples, cinnamon cider, and roasted zucchini proved to be a challenge for Aoba, who had never really used those ingredients before. Now that all the food was cooked and the left overs put away, Aoba brought in wood logs to replenish the pile beside the stove. At the table, glasses resting on his nose, Mink wrote out the recipes they had worked on in a notebook in addition to a few others that he thought Aoba would enjoy. Of course, his willingness to do this had drawn cheers and smiles from his partner, who flitted about the house the rest of the day with giddy energy. “Okay! All cleaned up!” Aoba announced, hands on his hips. Mink snaked an arm around Aoba’s waist and pulled him in close, his other hand still writing in the notebook. “Wah! Mink!” Aoba blushed, taken off guard by the sudden affection. “We’ll get ready for bed together,” Mink said, setting down his pen. “M-mink…” Aoba huffed, trying to hide his embarrassment. The smell of cinnamon wafted over him, the warm spicy smell exciting him and drawing him in closer. Laughing, Mink rose up from the table and lead Aoba to his room, ready to continue their celebration.

**Author's Note:**

> I did my best to do some research (albiet on the internet) to figure out some fall traditions practiced by Native Americans in the western part of the US. They never say outright where Mink is from so I had to get creative. I hope to did okay!


End file.
